Northwestern University rower who fell off boat during practice found dead

Washington, DC, United States (4E) – The Northwestern University rower who fell off the boat while they had a practice on Monday morning was found dead at the canal hours later.

The student was identified as 19-year-old Mohammed Ramzan. He is a freshman from Auburn, Washington. He went missing at around 7:40 a.m. and they searched for him a short time later.

According to the coach, who was trailing behind the boat of the team, he jumped in together with another rower to try and save the teenager. However, they could not find him due to the muddy waters. By 10:00 AM, Skokie Fire Chief Jim Walters said in a statement, “It’s a recovery operation at this point. We pulled the divers about 9:30, 10:00 o’clock, went into recovery mode at that time and put the boats in the water with sonar and that gives us the best possibility of making a find.”

Several fire departments deployed their dive and rescue teams. The people with Ramzan were not able to say where exactly he fell so the search times had to search different areas of the canal in an attempt to recover his body. His body was found where the team often practices.

The sport is called crew and is not a varsity sport in Northwestern University. It is just a club sport that was created since the 1980s. They have more than 40 members.

The crew team shared on Instagram a photo of Ramzan. They shared alongside the photo, “It is with great sadness that we report the loss of one of our teammates, Mohammed Ramzan. Mohammed will be remembered as one of Northwestern Crew’s most perseverant athletes and friendliest faces. We will miss him dearly. We send our deepest condolences to Mohammed’s friends and family. We sincerely appreciate all of your thoughts, prayers, and support during this difficult time.”

Northwestern University said this is the first serious incident in club history as they gave their condolences to the teen’s family and friends. Counselors are available in the university for the team members of Ramzan as well as his friends.